In a carrier packer, articles such as bottles or cans are continuously supplied to the packer by a conveyor. The moving bottles are formed into a predetermined number of parallel lines, typically two, three or four lines. The lines are separated in lanes, spaced apart by lane dividers. The bottles are fed into the respective lanes by the movement of a conveyor. The conveyor feeds the bottles into an array-forming section where the bottles are grouped into a desired pattern for packing. This array, that is the number of lines and the number of bottles in each line, corresponds to the particular carrier into which the bottles are to be packed. A carrier will generally have an outer paperboard box and inner grid-like partitions which subdivide the space within the carrier into upwardly open compartments or cells where the bottles are fitted individually.
A transfer device grips an array of bottles and drops them in an upright position into the carrier. As they drop, the bottles are guided toward and into the respective cells, between the partitions of the carrier, by an intermediate grid having a number of flexible fingers or flaps around the fall path of each bottle, which funnels the bottle into its particular cell within the carrier.
Such devices are provided with flexible members for directing the bottles being dropped from a gripping assembly into particular locations within the container. Finger assembles or clusters are generally mounted to parallel rails in a vertically movable grid assembly, either at the sides of individual passages for the bottles, or at the corners of square passageways for the bottles. With conventional finger assemblies, it may happen that the fingers will catch against the upper edges of the partitions, thus causing the entire production line to stop.